Jerry Lewis: Maybe some of you remember him as the actor/director/comedian who played The Nutty Professor in ’63? Or have seen his 40 years hosting the Muscular Dystrophy Association‘s annual Labor Day Telethon. Nothing more dicey than some slapstick, wouldn’t you say? Well, sorry to crack your beaker, but the guy who once played Professor Julius Kelp has more to say than “nice lady!” For example: We heard him tell Maria Menounos how he wouldn’t feel bad if Joan Rivers died.

Participating in a SiriusXM Town Hall in honor of The Nutty Professor’s 50th anniversary, Jerry expanded on his less-than-complimentary feelings toward Ms. Rivers.

“Joan attacked me in the press. All she said was, ‘Jerry Lewis has to be thankful that he has the telethon, because it helps his career. And then she went on and was even a little more salty. So I wrote her a note that night. I said, ‘Dear Ms. Rivers, we’ve never met, and I’m looking forward to keeping it that way. If you find it necessary to discuss me, my career, or my kids ever again, I promise you I will get somebody from Chicago to beat your goddamn head off.”

Um.

Um.

Um.

Help?

Fortunately, Maria had the wherewithal (aka didn’t just clam up like me) to debate the point. “OK. Devil’s advocate,” said Maria. “It’s always hard as a comedian to not offend people when the whole point of the joke is to be funny.”